What went right in 2012: Not a lot of teams can call a three-win season improvement, but Carl Pelini's first year as a head coach was just that. Senior quarterback Graham Wilbert had a legacy-saving season, throwing for 18 touchdowns and 234 yards per game... The emergence of sophomore wide receiver William Dukes was key to the Owls' positive turnaround in 2012 — he nearly put up a 1,000 yard season in 2012, putting him on NFL scouts' radars... Strong play from junior college transfers Brandin Bryant at defensive tackle and Mustafa Johnson at center helped stabilize undersized offensive and defensive lines... Strong cornerback play made the Owls one of the better non-BCS teams against the pass, and freshman walk-on punter Sean Kelly was one of the Sun Belt's best, a extremely pleasant surprise for the Owls.

What went wrong in 2012: FAU found itself overmatched and understaffed for most every contest in 2012...A new spread offense frequently became one-dimentional, and the Owls defense was helpless against the run... FAU had extreme problems pressuring the quarterback — the Owls registered only 12 sacks in 12 games, the nation's sixth-worst mark... Sophomore quarterback Stephen Curtis held onto the Owls' starting quarterback spot for 30 minutes before being relegated to the bench for the rest of the season... The FAU rushing game spurted frequently, ending the season as the nation's 13th-worst rushing offense... Pelini saw attrition on the roster after his hardline pre-season practices.

Five things to watch in 2013:

1. Further positive progression from wide receiver William Dukes could move him into a nationally elite category during his junior season. Dukes came on mid-way though the 2012 season and claimed the top-receiver role on an FAU team in desperate need for a go-to option. Despite more defensive attention, Dukes didn't slow down, ending the season with a 15-yard-per-catch average on 64 receptions.

2. Much of Dukes' progression will have to do with who will throw him the ball. The Owls will head into 2013 spring practices with three quarterback vying, seriously, for the top spot on the depth chart. Stephen Curtis' junior season will likely be his last chance to be the FAU starting quarterback. He started the 2012 season as QB No.1, but poor play relegated him to the bench. Can he redeem himself in 2013? He'll have stiff competition. Pelini favorite Melvin German should be eligible to play in the spring, and junior college transfer Jaquez Johnson will be in the hunt for the top spot.

3. Pelini's defense was taped together by the steady play of linebackers Adarius Glanton and Andrae Kirk, who made the most of their opportunities to play big minutes under a new coaching staff. Those two players will now be looked at to replace the leadership qualities of safety Brent Harstad and linebacker David Hinds, the latter who was the unquestioned heart-and-soul of the Owls. How they respond to the additional responsibility could dictate if the Owls will contend for a bowl game, or if they'll meddle in the middle of the conference in 2013.

4. Linebacker Freedom Whitfield didn't show up in the box score often, but when he played for FAU in 2012, his talent was readily apparent. Pelini has taken a personal laking to the soon-to-be sophomore, and after spring and summer practices, the head coach is predicting big things out of the Fort Pierce native.

5. FAU will decide soon if it will join Conference USA a year early, or if it will play a farewell season in the Sun Belt Conference. Pelini and his coaching staff won't have much to say in the conference decision, but it will have a clear effect on the Owls' decisions in preseason.